Unfortunately I don't really know. At the moment I'm the only one working on PowerPup. And I'm learning Linux, programming, etc, as I go. So there isn't a deadline or anything.

Tester wrote:

ha if it wold work on old hardware this would be great.i love my peforma.

Actually, I'm watching the Nubus Kernel Project very closely. I'm even helping out with testing on my old hardware. Once they have a stable 2.6 kernel out. PowerPup on Old World Macs will be possible.

omskates wrote:

SWFDEC, maybe another possibility? Though I'm not any where near skilled to help develop it for PowerPup (sorry)
http://swfdec.freedesktop.org/wiki/

Hm.. Pretty interesting. I'll look into it (As well as Gnash,) when the time for flash comes. (Right now it's getting a desktop environment.)

Now for an update on my progress:
I haven't touched PowerPup during the summer. (My summer job took care of that. ) But now that summer is over.... It's back to my schooling.
But I am starting work on my project again. One of the things I was looking was a small x server or the source of a stripped version.

But what I have found is MicroXwin. Much simpler than having a server-client method. Not many people have more than one terminal running at one time anyway. I've seen a couple of topics here about MicroXwin. But nothing for Puppy really came out of them.. (Sort of...)

I have successfully installed Debian Lenny w/LXDE desktop and Openbox wm on several iMac G3s and it works well. With a special workaround I also have Iceweasel 3.5 and it works fine (Rebranded Firefox.) I had to choose gnash over SWFDEC for flash as SWFDEC puts a big play button on each flash object and will not commence until the user presses on it (which was a deal breaker.) However, with gnash on these old slow G3s, it will not play a youtube video in a watchable fashion.

To speed development, (and IANAD) I wonder if it would be possible to take the debian packages (including the kernel) and repackage them for this custom puplet. It seems to me that a principle about open source is to stand on the shoulders of others who have already done the work (to avoid continually reinventing the wheel.)

Just a thought and wanted you to know that someone else (with about 20 iMac G3s is following the development of this project.)

While the idea for taking debian packages (or slackintosh) and repackaging them would be good for making pet packages. (As there are none for PPC yet. ) It wouldn't really work for developing the core system of PowerPup. Actually that's the idea of Barry's woof scripts, taking pre-compiled packages from famous distros and building a puplet out of them. If a custom distro script (direct woof to PPC debian or slackintosh packages) would be made for woof. The idea of repackaging might work. But some packages are modified for Puppy Linux, I would have to find their sources and compile them as well.

However, Barry updated his page on the T2 method (puppy from source,) recently. I'm going to take a look into that and see if I can make something from it. (Much easier to have scripts do everything for you, than trying to learn it all yourself. )
Edit: Ah, the update describes how to use T2 sources to make binary packages, which would be used in woof. At least it's more automated.

PowerPup; 2 Things... No 3 really, the first being... hang in there buddy , we're rootin' for ya!
I did not know anyone was still working on the nubus project. Could you drop me a PM w/ details and or links, as I have plenty of "development" machines for that project!
Also... The Finnix "thing" kinda looks like it is closer to the Puppy concept as far as I can tell. Did you look at it?
Darn... one more thing.. I would not loose alot of sleep over the "Old World" Development, as I believe that once you get it going.. all one should have to do is "transplant" an older kernel, as there is Not a bootloader for old world Mac's anyway!
Later
RP

I'm not loosing sleep over "Old World" Development.
I'm just watching with anticipation.

I have looked at Finnix, while it's closer to the Puppy concept than most over distros, It's different enough that it would be very difficult to make some sort of puplet out of it, due to my still limited knowledge and skill in Linux. (Plus just time consuming.)

I've been completely hooked on Puppy since 2.16, and I think this is what I would call a golden opportunity.

I'll share.

This friend of mine gave me a PowerPC G4 a couple months ago. He moved a couple weeks ago, and now I finally get around to setting it up.

I haven't given Macintosh a second thought since I got out of school way back when. This particular machine is a dual 1.47 GHz. As far as I can tell, it was the kind of computer you show off to envious neighbors.

Fortunately, I was genuinely clueless until yesterday how phenomenal this thing really is. Because if I had known earlier, he probably would have held on to it. And THEN I wouldn't get this chance now to possibly try and repay the favor to everyone who makes Puppy Linux so freaking amazing.

I'm not too skillful yet with programming/developing, but lately I've been searching for some excuse to really get started.

So, my hat goes off to PowerPup for getting this ball rolling. I'll keep you guys posted. And, I'd imagine I'll probably have a few questions.

Well, I started messing with the T2 sources and scripts. Following Barry's steps, but I guess I was doing a little too much at one time or something because my Mac froze! No response from the mouse or keyboard! So I pressed reset and let it boot Mac OS X, it's the default. And decided since it was late I'd hit the sack and get a fresh start in the morning.

When Morning came I booted my PowerMac G4 into Slackintosh and...... It wouldn't detect my Mac OS X hard drive or my linux storage drive! I needed to access to the storage drive because that's where I had all the T2 stuff. Apparently when it froze it messed something up in Slackintosh.

So Today I've been trying other Linux OSes for my Mac. Since Slackintosh is a bit out-dated. But as I've been reading Barry's instructions for T2 and Woof. I might need to use a PC somewhere along the way. Barry recommends using Puppy Linux for Woof because Puppy Linux has all the necessary utilities and such. So I either need to do it all on a PC running Puppy Linux, or just the Woof part.

Anyway, having fun messing with Linux on my Mac, but I definitely won't be using an ubuntu based OS as my main Linux OS, for Mac or PC. Waaaayyyyy to restrictive! Trying Xubnutu at the moment. Gonna try Fedora next, maybe even ArchLinux. If I can't find anything I like I'll just reinstall Slackintosh.

Probably time for an update to the PowerPup site too. Mostly because I feel like it.

try this lenny live cd for ppc, I'm willing to bet it 'll be better than any flavor of ubuntu and can be modded to run a lightweight desktop.

http://www.debian-desktop.org/pub/linux/debian/kde43-live/

from these guys:
http://www.debian-desktop.org/doku.php

Thx for the update btw. I have wanted to see a puppy for mac for a long time, but I understand Mac ppc is very complex in all its various machinations. I had watched and played with linux nubus based on sarge but it was always too slow, as was the progress made on it. It is good to see that nerw developers have joined their team recently and that things are progressing once again.

Thanks vito. I'll try it out.... Ugh, that make two distros I know that have smaller than DVD but larger than CD isos. That live CD is about 810MB, That's less than 1/4 of a DVD, and the ubuntu 9.10 PPC CD is about the same.

I'm aware that there are 90min CD-Rs out there, but not every store has those. Seems like a waste of a DVD-R. Oh well. The macs that these distro supports usually have DVD drives anyway.

Speaking of Debian Lenny and nubus macs, They've recently had success of installing Debian Lenny on a couple PowerBook 1400s. I'm not a developer for the nubus project, just a beta tester. They have to write drivers from scratch. Hence why development is slow, not every one knows how to do that. Like me.

Lenny on a 1400? That must move like a snail thru jello.
Now, if you could get some version of Woof or Quirky running on a 1400, that might save it from being regulated to use as a paperweight or doorstop. (thats even with the Sonnet upgrade.)

Frankly, not being adeveloper myself, it is hard to see why more people haven't been involved in porting puppy to ppc, arm, iphone etc. The Lenny DVD ? Yea, I don't know why it could not have been smaller or if not why a few more apps could not have been added. But I am grateful the work that these guys have done in perfecting this brand of linux.

However, I like BK's idea of a minimalistic functional esthetically appealing gui'd linux. Starting with the lean OS and then adding what ever one might like at a later time via pet or modding of the same.

Kudos to the nubus folks on the progress that they have made, I just felt like if I had stayed in that venue I would have to wait a long time or become a developer, that I am not.